The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) are pushing to make double dipping for revenue from digital music the norm. Is the music industry determined to annoy consumers and retailers until we all turn our backs on it for good?

The Internet has changed, and continues to change, the world. Whether whole industries and individual companies manage to survive the change intact and in good health depends on their ability to evolve and accept the changes. Unfortunately, the music industry has generally shown it’s incapable of doing so.

The latest example of this being an attempt at forcing Apple, Amazon, and others to pay performance fees for music downloads, downloads of movies and television shows, and even the 30-second samples many of us use to determine whether we actually want to buy a track or album.

The music industry really just doesn’t get it. Like it or not, the world is moving from physical to digital formats. That’s the way it is, and the trend is likely to continue until we all consume music, movies, and games through implants in our heads. And sure, Apple will probably be the manufacturers of those brain implants but that doesn’t mean it’s the devil, although I do sometimes wonder about Steve Jobs.

According to CNET, ASCAP, BMI and others aren’t happy with the current rates of revenue heading from music e-tailers to the songwriters, composers, and music publishers which make up their membership. But rather than just seeking to up the rates they get in a fair and balance way, the industry wants to double dip their way to more profit.

The performing rights groups have three main areas of contention. And having failed to see movement from negotiations with the companies themselves, they are lobbying Congress to pass legislation to their way of thinking instead.

Firstly, they want to add performance fees to every download from Apple iTunes, Amazon and the like to the current revenue they receive from the licensing fee for all content. That’s right folks, when you download a track for personal consumption, you’re meant to pay a higher premium for the right to perform that song in public. Even though you likely won’t ever do so.

Even more ludicrously, they want a performance fee paid for the music that features in movies or television shows. It doesn’t seem to matter that the songwriters and publishers have already been paid for the privilege of having their material featured in the first place.

Lastly, but most controversially and shortsightedly, the performing rights groups want to make money every time a 30-second preview of a track is played. It doesn’t seem to have occurred to them that people can base their purchasing decisions on these previews and that by charging Apple, Amazon and the rest for them they will be shooting themselves in the foot.

You seriously couldn’t make it up.

Related:

Entry was posted on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 10:42 pm under Apple, Internet, Legal, Music, Opinion, Technology.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
Stumble It!